Overview of Project

The city of State Center first contacted the Iowa DOT in 2023 regarding the intersection of U.S. 30 and Durham Avenue. The police department has a camera at the intersection and was concerned with the number of crashes occurring at this location.

The Iowa DOT’s Traffic and Safety Bureau (TSB) and District 1 staff then met with local officials about options to improve the intersection. Options considered included:

• Intersection Conflict Warning Systems (ICWS)
• Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI)
• Traffic signals
• Interchange

Traffic signals were eliminated, as they are not considered safe at this type of intersection. An interchange was also removed due to the time required for development and funding availability. All parties agreed on an ICWS as an immediate first step. Because of the especially narrow median, the ICWS alone would not be expected to solve all of the issues; therefore, an RCI should be used in conjunction with the ICWS for additional safety benefit. Local officials representing the city of State Center and Marshall County are supportive of this approach.

Traffic on US 30 will remain open during construction; however, lane closures will be necessary. Traffic on Durham Avenue and 3rd Avenue Southwest will be detoured at times.

All work will be completed with the Iowa DOT’s existing right-of-way and no property will be acquired for the project.

Map of the Project

Schedule

Right now, we are working on our plans to be used for construction and coordinating with utility companies. The letting for the project will be in February 2026. Construction will begin shortly after, in March or April 2026, and continue through November 2026.